Workers and Farmers Look Ahead of Leamington Heinz Plant Closure
Posted: November 27, 2013
Categories: Food in the News / News from Sustain Members
Earlier this month, it was reported that HJ Heinz Co. will be closing its Leamington, Ontario plant by mid-2014. By closing the plant, 740 full-time jobs will be terminated. The plant has been in production since 1909 and has provided a steady source of employment for Leamington residents as well as a market for local tomato growers.
The closure marks a significant loss for Leamington. In addition to dismissals, local farmers will also suffer a loss of revenue. CBC News Windsor notes the significant loss for farmers, “Ken Hamm grows tomatoes for the Heinz plant in Leamington. He said close to 40 per cent of all field tomatoes grown in Ontario are shipped to Leamington.” Heinz also paid $1 million each year in property taxes to Leamington and served as a major buyer of electricity and water.
The National Farmers Union also issued a release highlighting the impact of the closure, particularly how it contributes to the trend of reduced local processing capacity. Several Ontario vegetable and fruit processing facilities have been closed in recent years, such as the Bick’s pickle plant in Dunnville and the CanGro peach plant in St. David’s. The Ontario processing sector is being weakened by policy that favours global trade of agri-food products, they argue. According to NFU Vice President Colleen Ross:
“It would be a shame if local farmland that is so well-suited to vegetable production could no longer be used due simply to the lack of processing capacity. There are pockets in each province where the combination of excellent soil and micro-climate makes ideal vegetable-growing conditions. Without policies to ensure local and regional processors’ survival, our farmers can’t make a living and Canadians will end up eating even more imported fruit and vegetables.”
Premier Kathleen Wynne addressed the Heinz announcement while in Leamington last Friday: “In terms of Heinz involvement, I’m not sure there’s a way to salvage that. But that plant, can there be an option and a future for that plant? My hope is yes.”
Others have proposed alternative solutions in order to salvage the community’s capacity to produce tomatoes. Steve Peters, head of the Ontario Alliance of Food Processors and a former Liberal MPP and agriculture minister, has proposed the development of a co-op of tomato farmers in light of the plant’s closure. In a report from CBC Windsor, Peters stated: “I see no reason why we couldn’t bring all the players together to look at the creation of some sort of co-op. It could be positive for growers and processers… We have to pursue it, there’s too much at stake.”
In the same article, Peters mentioned that he had also talked with two companies who currently import their tomato paste from California who are potentially interested in buying the plant. The full impact of the closure remains to be seen as stakeholders connect and discuss potential opportunities to maintain the plant’s role in Ontario’s processing sector.
CBC News visited the Bring Food Home conference in Windsor on November 19th to speak with attendees about the announcement. Watch the video below (Flash Player required).